The iPhone 6S has the best front-facing camera I've ever used on a smartphone

Steve Kovach/Tech Insider We use our smartphones for everything these days — especially taking photos. That's why it's important to know which phones capture the best pictures.

This is one of the biggest changes to come with the new iPhone. Apple has improved the camera on its iPhone 6S by bumping the 8-megapixel sensor up to 12 megapixels.

While this is an improvement, it's really the phone's front-facing camera that stands apart from the competition.

The iPhone 6S comes with a 5-megapixel front camera compared to the iPhone 6's 1.2-megapixel front camera. The newer iPhone also includes what Apple calls "Retina Flash," which means the phone's screen lights up to act as a flash when you snap a front-facing photo in a dark environment.

It's a clever idea, and it works really well in practice.

Here's a quick look at how Retina Flash helps the iPhone 6S capture better low-light photos with the front-facing camera.

(Note: Each photo was taken in the same location, at the same time, under the same circumstances. For the purposes of this test we used a Galaxy S6 Edge, which has the same camera as the Galaxy S6, and an iPhone 6 Plus, which has the same camera as the iPhone 6 except for the fact that it also offers optical image stabilization.)

iPhone 6S

Lisa Eadicicco

iPhone 6

Lisa Eadicicco

Galaxy S6

Lisa Eadicicco

You'll notice in the photos above that the one taken with the iPhone 6S is clearer, sharper, and more detailed than the other two. The image shot with the iPhone 6 is a bit dark and grainy. While the photo captured on the Galaxy S6 is smooth and colorful, it's not as detailed as the one taken with the iPhone 6S.

The Galaxy S6, however, does have a wide angle front lens, so if you're taking a selfie with a group of people it might be better at capturing the whole bunch. The iPhone 6S is the best when it comes to image quality, though.